How to Help Your Child Succeed in STEM Related Subjects

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects are crucial to your child’s educational progress, overall development and future career opportunities. Fortunately, a parent can do much to ensure their child is successful in STEM subjects.

Pour on the Encouragement

As is the case with any growing entity, STEM-success can be nourished to flourish. If your child is in one or more STEM classes, one of the best things you can do is to show them you are interested in what they are learning. While you may not ever understand the intricacies of building or programming a drone, you can listen carefully after you ask your child about the one she is working on in class. Your interest will encourage her and your effort will help you further develop your scientific knowledge base.

Nourish to Flourish

Just as encouragement gives your child the spirit to succeed, good health gives him the mind and body needed to make it happen. Providing nutritious food, plentiful physical activity time and sufficient sleep acts as a growing medium for proper physical growth. In a similar fashion, arts participation can do wonders for their social, emotional and brain development. This is the reason that a growing number of school districts are incorporating the arts into STEM education. Even if your child’s school doesn’t have a formal STEAM program, learning to play a musical instrument, taking dance lessons or participation in any other art form will help your child learn work habits, analytical skills and critical thinking procedures needed to truly understand complex STEM material.

Plant Your Child Among High-Achievers

Participation in the arts will also surround your child with peers that tend to succeed academically, as will enrolling your child in the Boy or Girl Scouts or after school programs. If your child is already booked with a stream of activities, you may wish to consider enrolling her in an online, self-paced STEM-focused program such as the one offered by Buckeye Educational Systems. Whichever option you choose, the important thing is to surround your child with peers who are succeeding in STEM-related subjects.

When you do everything in your power to build your child’s mind and body while choosing quality STEM-related experiences and high-achieving peers for them, you will help maximize your child’s potential. As you strive to encourage, support and learn with them, you will help your child create a better world.

Our Mission

Integrated Family Community Services (IFCS) provides basic human services and enrichment programs to low-income family members, using community resources. IFCS fosters self-sufficiency and respects the dignity of each client. It serves the people of Centennial, Englewood, Glendale, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Lone Tree, Sheridan, and unincorporated Arapahoe County.

2017-2018 IFCS By The Numbers

117,873 - Number of Meals Given Out16,337 - Family Members received services1,908 Volunteers who donated 7,379 Hours

How to Help?

Our largest need at IFCS is financial support, food and clothing. Volunteer opportunities at IFCS are numerous and include a range of different ways to help.

Please be advised this week April 22-26 IFCS is unable to accept clothing donations as we are preparing for our Mother’s Day program. Clothing donations will be accepted again Monday, April 29 at 8:00am. As always, thank you for your support! #donations #supportIFCS

Looking for a job? We are joining forces with Arapahoe Libraries to offer career services workshops. Our first event is May 7th 4pm-6pm at IFCS' Englewood location. Join us and make your cover letter and resume stand out from the rest!